How young infants recognize emotions
Official title: Young Infants' Detection of Emotion
Funded at Kansas City University · NIH-10889083 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how babies notice different feelings, like happiness and fear, when they see faces for just a moment, and it will follow them over time to see how their ability to understand emotions grows as they develop.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kansas City University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project start | August 30, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $234,781 |
| NIH project number | 5R00HD101500-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10889083 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation are infants under 21 months old, particularly those at risk for developmental disorders such as autism.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are older than 21 months or do not have concerns related to emotional development may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how infants detect emotional expressions, such as happiness, anger, and fear, in very brief presentations of faces. By using advanced techniques like eye-tracking and measuring pupil responses, the study aims to understand how quickly infants can recognize these emotions and whether they respond differently to threatening versus non-threatening emotions. The research will also follow infants over time to see how their ability to detect emotions develops and relates to their overall growth and abilities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could enhance our understanding of emotional development in infants, potentially leading to early interventions for children with developmental disorders.
How similar studies have gone: While research on emotion detection in adults is well-established, this study's focus on infants represents a novel approach that has not been extensively tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Kansas City University
Kansas City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zieber, Nicole — Kansas City University
- Study coordinator: Zieber, Nicole
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.